© 2019 JETIR June 2019, Volume 6, Issue 6 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) Demographic Factors influencing the Buying Behaviour of Consumers toward the Green Products in Kerala 1Rahul Ramesh, 2Dr. B. Ramesh 1Research Scholar, Department of Management Studies, Kannur University, Thalaserry Campus, Palayad, Kannur-670661, Kerala, India, 2Professor, Rajagiri School of Social Sciences, Kalamassery, Ernakulam, Kerala, India. Abstract: The state of Kerala well known for its rich flora and fauna, high literacy and high health standards, have also made spectacular strides towards the green movement and has become a topic of discussions and debates in several circles. In this context, it becomes quite imperative to analyse the changing consumers’ perceptions towards Green Products. It will also help the policy makers, entrepreneurs and traders in formulating various strategies to better strive towards ‘Green Living’. A sample of 260 consumers, 52 each from 5 major Shopping Malls in the district of Ernakulam in Kerala was taken for the study. This paper tries to analyse the extent influence of certain demographic factors which influence the buying behaviour of the Green Product consumers in Kerala. Index Terms - Green Products, Demographic Factors, Buying Behaviour, Purchasing Behaviour. I. INTRODUCTION Green products have been assuming more prominence during recent years due to the growing concern all over the world about the rising number of environmental issues consequent upon the dumbing of plastic and other non-degradable materials resulting from the consumption of various products. The ever increasing population and shrinkage of cultivable areas due to the conversion for construction works and other developmental projects have aggravated these issues. The unscientific processing and removal of many of the non-degradable materials have led to the pollution of air, water and soil, causing threat to all living organisms on earth. These sort of catastrophic situations have made scientists, environmentalists and policy makers across the globe to rethink and to make a paradigm shift from the synthetic materials to organic produced and bio-degradable substitutes of many of the products which we people today. Many policy formulations such as TIWARI COMMITTEE (1980), FOREST POLICY (1988), INDIAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (1992), NATIONAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY (1992) etc., in India and MONTREAL PROTOCOL (1987), KYOTO PROTOCOL (1997), CARTAGENA PROTOCOL (2000), NAGOYA PROTOCOL (2010), etc., on an international level were implemented with such a view to protect the environment. Similarly, Enactment of several legislations in India during the Post-Independence period such as The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA) and environmental movements like Bishnoi Movement (1700’s), Chipko Movement(1973), Save Silent Valley Movement(1978), Jungle Bachao Andholan(1982), Appiko Movement(1983), Save the Western Ghats march(1988), Narmada Bachao Andholan (NBA) (1990’s), Tehri Dam Conflict(1991), etc., are some glaring examples of the concern of the policy makers and the people in India. Formation of several international collectives such as Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund(WWF), 350.org, Conservational International, Fauna and Flora International, Green Cross International, NatureServe, CESOSACO, EMS Canada, etc., national collectives like CHINTAN, The Wildlife Protection Society Of India, NAVDANYA, GreenPeace India, DelhiGreens, Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation. Pasumai Thaayagam , Poovulagin Nanbargal (Tamilnadu), and NGOs in Kerala like Society for Economic and Environmental Development [SEED] (Alappuzha), Bodhi Kala Samskarika Samithy Karayad (Kozhikkode), Uravu Indigenous Science Technology Study Centre(Wayanad), Centre For Environmental Efficiency(Kochi), C- DART (Ernakulam) and Thanal (Trivandrum), of environmentally conscious people have emerged, having more concern about the environment and other issues that cost to the very mother earth that provides us with everything that we have. Policies restricting the usage of many synthetic/non-degradable materials and the promotional efforts taken up by the policy makers in many countries including India have led even to the blossoming of a unique class of entrepreneurs termed as Green Entrepreneurs and many people around the world have also been gradually switching over to a sort of green living by ((selectively using)) items which will in no way be harmful to the human health also to the environment. The switching over from the earlier lifestyles to ‘green living’ and the resultant increased demand have led to the mushrooming of malls and outlets providing exclusive supply of green products. The state of Kerala well known for its rich flora and fauna, high literacy and high health standards, have also made spectacular strides towards the green movement and has become a topic of discussions and debates in several circles. Many green entrepreneurs with their environmental friendly products and services have given rise to an eco-friendly wave in the state of Kerala which is well known all over the world as God’s own country. It is in this context that it becomes quite imperative to analyse the changing consumers’ perceptions towards Green Products. It will also help the policy makers, entrepreneurs and traders in formulating various strategies to better strive towards ‘Green Living’. JETIR1906X86 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 394 © 2019 JETIR June 2019, Volume 6, Issue 6 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The State of Kerala is well known for its health standards all over the world. It is quite evident from the facts that the average life expectancy of a Keralite is 74.9 years whereas it comes to 68.56 years at the National level and 78.69, 83.98, 76.25, 80.64 and 80.96 in USA, Japan, China, Germany and UK respectively. Kerala’s high literacy rate(93.91%) and the highest HDI value in the country(0.784), while the All-India average is comparatively lesser(0.640), has also created greater awareness among the people of the State about the need for consumption of various green products in the State. Many green products manufacturers including the internationally reputed green products’ manufacturers such as WORLDCENTRIC, PAPELYCO, BE GREEN PACKAGING, ECOWARE, TIPA, etc., are the major players in the International market and the leading green product manufacturers in the country, bringing out an array of biodegradable products, such as BIOGREEN, COSMOS ECO FRIENDS, GUNJAN INTERNATIONAL, GREENPLAST etc., have found the state of Kerala as one of their prospective and high potential markets, due to the increased health concern and environmental awareness among Keralites.. Presently, MRT Organic Green Products, Deepam Palm Dish, Leetha Group of Industries, Envigreen Biotech India, etc., are the green product manufacturers in Kerala, catering to the requirements of environmentally conscious people of the State. Since the economy of the State is a consumerist one, many green product manufacturers have found lucrative trading activities for their products. Hence a study analysing the various factors influencing the buying behaviour of consumers toward Green Products in Kerala becomes quite relevant in the present day context. III. OBJECTIVES To analyse the extent of influence of various factors on Consumers buying behaviour green products in Kerala. To know what kind of green products are consumers currently buying and will prefer to buy in the future. To identify the problems faced by the consumers of green products in the State. To assess the future prospects of green products in the State. HYPOTHESES: H10: Gender of consumers have no significant influence on the consumption pattern of green products. H20: Age has no significant influence on their green products’ consumption. H30: Level of education has no significant influence on the buying behaviour of green products by consumers H40: Income of consumers has no significant relationship with their purchasing of green products. H50: Marital status has no significant difference with the behaviour of purchasing of green products. H60: There is no significant difference between the buying behaviour of green products by the consumers and the number of children they have. H70: There is no significant difference between the buying behaviour of green products by the consumers and the Size of their family. IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1 Population and Sample An attempt is made to know the role of the demographic factors of consumers in their green product purchasing by selecting a total of 260 consumers, 52 each from 5 major Shopping Malls namely, Gold Souk Grande Mall, Centre Square Mall, Oberon Mall, Lulu Mall and ABAD Nucleus Mall in the district of Ernakulam in Kerala. The district of Ernakulam is taken as a representative district for the whole of Kerala due to several reasons. The first and foremost thing is that the district of Ernakulam is the industrial capital of Kerala. It’s a main hub where a large number of people from all the districts of Kerala come to visit and purchase many green consumer durables and non-durables. It’s also a main centre of tourist attractions which enables the possibility of a highly heterogeneous population. Among the 260 completed schedules, 7 were found to be